The Turkish city of Istanbul is hosting the 13th Islamic Summit Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva are also participating in the summit, APA correspondent reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the heads of state and representative of observer states.

The summit began with recitation of Quran.

Leaders of the OIC member states will discuss 12 issues during the Summit, which include: the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict, conflict situations in the Muslim world and migration, situation of Muslim communities in non-OIC Member States, Combating terrorism and violent extremism, Islamophobia, Humanitarian situation in the Muslim World, OIC Program of Action: 2016-2025, Advancing scientific cooperation among the Member States in the areas of health, higher education and environment, Advancing cultural, social and information cooperation in the Muslim World, Poverty eradication and development of infrastructure in the OIC Member States, Legal and statutory issues, and Empowering the OIC to deliver on its mandate.

The OIC member states are also expected to discuss the issues of creating of a contact group for the liberation of Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in line with international law.